This year, we fried a 19-pound turkey and the house is still standing.
macaroni & cheese with Tillamook and Hook’s 10-year cheddar; classic dressing; butternut squash salad; cranberry sauce; jacques pepin vegetable gratin (and carrot caramel that accompanied the carrot soup – the caramel was *money*)
We attempted a dry run on a turkey breast on the 17th and i thought it was amazing:
There is always a Thanksgiving disaster but this one happened days after: despite my previous success draining the fryer, I made a complete mess of it this year in the house and drenched quite a few of our cookbooks with used peanut oil containing bits of turkey. The victims: all 5 Cook’s Illustrated books, Chinese encyclopedia, Paula Wolfert, and Jacques Pepin (dust jacket facing the oil so no damage). I even premeditated on how it would drain from the spout – I think that’s why Jacques was safe. If I had just left the books dust jacket side out, I would’ve been fine. And note to self: baking soda will sop up the oil and keep the place from smelling like turkey oil into the next century.
Here is the most well-traveled piece of cake (courtesy of mp and ss):
almond cake in Thailand
here are the photos of the first attempt at Valerie’s Upside Down Almond Cake. I originally made it with Pink Lady apples, but ended up using Pippin apples. Simply divine. I ate cake for a week before Thanksgiving and for a few days after…
-
- not dark enough
-
- too much brown sugar – decrease it
-
- undercooked. see previous photo of cake in Thailand
Almond Paste
MAKES ABOUT 3 CUPS
4 cups (14 ounces) raw almond flour (see Resources, page 335), toasted (see page 20)
1 cup (7 ounces) sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
4 to 6 tablespoons water
Pour the toasted almond flour, sugar, and salt into the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times until combined. Continue pulsing as you add water 1 tablespoon at a time until the paste comes together into a ball.
Remove the almond paste from the processor, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.
VARIATION
BLANCHED ALMOND PASTE: Replace the toasted almond flour with regular almond flour.
Nut Flours
You will see nut flours in a variety of recipes in this book. Nut flour can be made easily by blitzing nuts in a food processor or coffee grinder for 2 to 3 minutes. Once the nuts are transformed into flour, stop pulsing. If you continue to grind them, they will turn into nut butter. Store nut flours in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer for 3 to 4 months. Blanched nut flour is made from blanched (skinned) nuts. For standard nut flours, or anything listed as raw nut flour, I tested the recipes using nuts with the skins intact. Toasted nut flour is made from nut flour that is toasted in the oven until it turns golden and smells toasty. Do not try to make toasted nut flour using roasted nuts; that will result in a mealy, oily nut mass. To make toasted nut flour, spread raw nut flour on a baking sheet and toast in a 350°F oven for 6 to 8 minutes, until the flour turns dark golden and smells roasted.
Nut flours are very popular today for use in gluten-free recipes. For the recipes in this book, nut flours are used specifically to create a forward, nutty flavor.
Nut Pastes
Almond paste, the nut paste I most commonly use, is sometimes confused with marzipan, which is substantially sweeter and softer. Nut pastes create rich, moist cakes with a fine crumb. The increased moisture also extends the shelf life of any baked good made with nut paste.
Carrot soup with carrot caramel (photo by mh):
Upside-down Apple and Almond Cakes
from Sweet by Valerie Gordon
MAKES 12 INDIVIDUAL CAKES
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks/6 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (4.38 ounces) all-purpose flour
1 cup (3.5 ounces) blanched almond flour (see Resources, page 335)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup (7 ounces) granulated sugar
2/3 cup (5.45 ounces) Almond Paste (page 44), made with blanched almond flour
3 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (see Resources, page 335)
1 tablespoon amaretto (optional)
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 cup (1.5 ounces) dark brown sugar
2 medium baking apples, such as Pink Lady or Granny Smith, peeled, halved, cored, and cut into I/2-inch-thick slices
Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Using a pastry brush, thickly coat 12 muffin cups with 3 tablespoons of the butter. Line a 13-by-18-by-1-inch baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
Whisk together the flour, almond flour, and salt in a medium bowl.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl, using a handheld mixer), cream the remaining 9 tablespoons butter and the granulated sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, crumble in the almond paste, then increase the speed to medium and continue mixing until the paste has broken down to very small bits.
Whisk together the eggs, egg yolk, vanilla paste, amaretto, if using, and almond extract in a small bowl, then add to the mixer and beat until fully combined. Add the dry ingredients and beat until the batter is smooth, with tiny dots of almond paste, about 2 minutes. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix for 1 minute.
Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of the brown sugar into the bottom of each muffin cup. Place 3 to 4 slices of apple on top of the brown sugar, slightly overlapping them. Using an ice cream scoop or a large spoon, scoop approximately 1/3 cup of cake batter into each cup.
Bake for 10 minutes, then rotate the tin and bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until the cakes appear light brown on the edges and a toothpick inserted in the center of one cake comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool for 2 to 3 minutes in the tin.
Run a small paring knife or offset spatula around the edges of each cake. Place the parchment-lined baking sheet on top of the muffin tin and, holding both pans together, quickly invert them. Strongly knock on the bottom of each cup to help the cakes release, and remove the tin. (If the cakes stick to the muffin tin, put the pan directly over low heat and move the pan around so all of the cakes receive equal amounts of heat. After 1 or 2 minutes, invert the pan again and release the cakes.) Serve warm or at room temperature.
STORING
The cakes can be stored in an airtight container for up to 4 days.